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BLACKSBURG,
VA. -
Top-ranked
North Carolina got goals from Paige Nielsen and Kealia Ohai to ease past
22nd-ranked Virginia Tech 2-1 Thursday night before 1,406 fans at Thompson
Field. It was the ACC women's soccer
season opener for both teams.

Carolina opened its ACC season with the victory and improves to 7-0
overall heading into a 1 p.m. matchup Sunday against #8 Notre Dame at Fetzer
Field. Virginia Tech fell to 5-1-1 on
the season and 0-1 in the ACC. Notre
Dame defeated NC State 3-1 Thursday night in Raleigh to improve to 5-1 on the
season and 1-0 in the ACC.

The victory was the 750th of UNC head coach Anson Dorrance's coaching
career as he improved to 750-49-29 in 35 seasons at the helm. He also coached the Tar Heel men's team to
172 wins from 1977-88 so his combined win total now stands at 922 career wins.

Carolina garnered a first-half goal by Paige Nielsen and a second-half
goal by Kealia Ohai and held off a late Virginia Tech rally to preserve the
win. Jazmine Reeves scored off a corner
kick for the Hokies in the 87th minute and then UNC goalkeeper Bryane Heaberlin
made a save on a header in the box by Murielle Tiernan with just 18 seconds
left in the game as the Hokies continued to press the issue.

The Tar Heels outshot the Hokies 8-4 in the first half and took a 1-0
lead into the locker room at intermission.
Dayle Colpitts had four first half saves for the Hokies, stopping a pair
of shots by Crystal Dunn and one each by Cameron Castleberry and Kealia Ohai.

The Hokies had two good early chances to score in the first half before
the Tar Heels began to take a possession advantage late in the half, eventually
leading to a goal by forward Paige Nielsen in the 35th minute. After Colpitts saved a shot by Dunn with
32:15 left in the first half, Virginia Tech almost scored a little less than
two minutes later on a bicycle kick shot by Ashley Meier that went high over
the net.

With 25:53 left in the half, the Tar Heel defensive back line came up
big as it blocked shots by Jazmine Reeves and Meier in the penalty area,
keeping the game tied at 0-0. Colpitts
made saves on shots by Dunn at 20:46 and by Kealia Ohai at 14:12 before Nielsen
put the Tar Heels ahead 1-0 with 10:40 left in the first half.

Nielsen picked up a loose ball at the top of the 18-yard box, dribbled
to her right and found some space around the Hokies' defense. Nielsen sent a 15-yard arcing shot to the far
post that curled over Colpitts into the upper left 90. It was the Nebraska sophomore's third goal of
the season.

Virginia Tech had the run of play in the early moments of the second
half before the Tar Heels struck with 30:28 left in the second half against the
run of play. Ohai fed a ball to Crystal
Dunn who carried into the top of the box before returning it to Ohai on the
right side of the penalty area. The Utah
native deked a defender, took one touch and then buried a shot from 10 yards
out to the far post for a 2-0 lead.

Carolina twice almost pushed the lead to three goals only to have Dayle
Colpitts make tremendous saves. She
stopped Amber Munerlyn on the doorstep with 27:09 to play and then she made a
critical save on a bullet of a shot by Ohai with 10 minutes left.

Virginia Tech would persevere, making things uncomfortable for UNC at
the end of regulation. The Hokies repeatedly
pressured the UNC penalty area and it led to a goal off a corner kick. Jazmine Reeves notched her fourth goal of the
season on a header with 3:48 to play after a mad scramble in the goal mouth. The Hokies had another corner kick with 42
seconds left and eventually got the header from the 8-yard line by Tiernan with
less than 20 seconds left. But Heaberlin
held her line, making the save and earning the Tar Heels the win.

UNC outshot the Hokies 14-7 and had edge in corner kicks 11-5. Colpitts had a season-high seven saves for
Virginia Tech.

Sunday's game against Notre Dame will be nationally
televised on ESPN3 and also broadcast live on WCHL Radio
(1360AM/97.9FM/Chapelboro.com). Tickets
are on sale now at the GoHeels.com Ticket Center. All tickets are $5 general admission with UNC
Faculty, Staff and Students admitted free with their UNC One Cards.